A Call to Go

Isaiah 6:8

New International Version (NIV)

8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us? ”

And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

Each and every one of us has the command to "go and make disciples" (Matthew 28:19), but for some reason we fall short, we get scared, and we stay in our comfort zones. I try to remember the call as much as possible and shine Jesus everywhere I go. We don't have to go very far to be missionaries. Right in our own towns there are are people who need to hear the gospel; they need to know that there are people that love and care for them, but more importantly, they need to know that Christ loved them while they were still sinners and laid down His life as a gift for them. Each and every believer is to be a missionary to those in their circles of influence.

Then there are those that the Lord calls more specifically. I know that I have been called to a life of missions both in and out of my immediate and surrounding areas. Right now that takes the form of short term missions. I have, to date, been on ten! Every time that I have felt called and answered as Isaiah, "Here am I. Send me!" the Lord has totally been in control. He provides, He blesses, He protects, and He blows my mind. Every time. Without fail. I am so thankful that He chooses to use me and show me how He is working in cultures different than my own. I love the thrill of all of it - from deciding to go, fundraising, lots of prayer, traveling, being there as the hands and feet of Jesus, and then even coming back and sharing and encouraging others with my stories (that are really HIS).

God did something crazy this year (2012) and gave me the opportunity to serve Him on three mission trips!! Mexico in March, Kenya in June/July, and Panama/Columbia in October/November. All are totally Christ-centered with a lot of room for service and spiritual growth. My next several blog posts will be about these trips. Three in 2012! Still blows my mind.

Here is a video that I made (After going to Mexico) about the three trips. :)